Pitching an article is an art-form. Make sure the topic you’re pitching checks one or more of these boxes:
- Is the topic new, or treated in a new way?
- Is the topic relevant to readers of that specific publication?
- Is the topic surprising?
Here are three of my pitches that recently sold.
Sold to The Wildest as “Allison Fogarty’s Freeze-Dried Dog Treats are a Delight”
Dear Samantha,
Allison Fogarty got the idea for Doggie Delights—her all-natural canine treat company—during the two years she couldn’t eat or drink by mouth. Fogarty, now 30, was born with Down syndrome and Tracheoesophogeal Fistula. While undergoing multiple surgeries that required a g-tube in her stomach, she found solace in cooking shows. She lived with a trach tube for the first 23 years of her life; when doctors removed it, she joined up with the Entrepreneur Academy, part of Central Florida’s Down Syndrome Association, and launched her business. Her mother, Pat, maintains the website and social media outreach, and keeps the books.
Wearing her signature lime-green chef’s jacket, Allison whips up batch after batch of the recipes she’s developed, then packages the freeze-dried treats to send to dog owners around the country. She includes a personalized letter to the canine recipient with every shipment. Two years ago, her endeavor caught the eye of Rachel Ray; Allison appeared on her cooking show, demonstrating how to make peanut butter sweet potato dog biscuits. (Ray sampled one and declared it delicious!)
I’d like to write a 750-word profile of Allison Fogerty for The Wildest. I grew up with a brother who has Down syndrome, and lately wrote this article about three young people who have the condition for The Washington Post. My articles have also appeared in The Bark, Catster, Real Simple, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, CNN, and numerous other publications. I’m the author of the middle-grade novels Avenging the Owl and Daisy Woodworm Changes the World; both books feature main characters with Down syndrome, and contributing editor at The Writer Magazine. Clips at www.melissahart.com .
Thanks very much for your time!
Melissa
Sold to The Washington Post as “Vampire Bats May Have a Bad Reputation, but They’re Smart and Social”
Dear Christina,
On June 1st, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the possibility that vampire bats—named after mythological vampires, thanks to their sharp teeth and a diet of blood—could arrive in the southern U.S. within the next two decades. Common in Latin America, the 1.2-ounce mammal has been migrating north due to global warming. But never fear—vampire bats almost never bite people. They prefer chickens, cows, porcupines . . . even sea lions!
I’d like to write an 800-word article for KidsPost including the new research, and packed with fun facts about the vampire bat. This will differ from the 2/1/18 article in KidsPost, which focused on their diet. Instead, I’ll tell kids about how scientists are studying a protein called Draculin in bat saliva as potentially helpful to people who’ve suffered a stroke, and how a bat locates blood vessels in the skin of its prey by using a heat-seeking sensor in its nose. They share food, and they groom each other, and if something happens to a bat’s mother, they adopt the baby. I’ll interview Simon Ripperger, vampire bat expert at Ohio State University for his insights into behavior and migration.
(Note that I don’t mention my previous publications or clips because this editor and I work together a lot.)
Thanks, Christina!
Melissa
Published in The Bark as “The Problem with Dog Poop Bags”
Dear Claudia,
Devil’s Backbone Open Space in Loveland, Colorado boasts rippling grasslands, stunning rock formations, Instagram-worthy vistas, and one heck of a lot of dog poop. On a Sunday in January, Ranger Aliy Louie hiked one of the most popular trails and picked up 47 little bags of the stuff. “That means nearly 50 people in the span of 24 hours decided to not pack it out,” he posted on Facebook. Meanwhile, over in Oregon, rangers in Portland’s Forest Park walked three-fourths of a mile along a well-trafficked hiking path and collected 52 personal bags of dog feces.
Over the past year, hiking trails across the country have been packed with pandemic-weary people and their pups. But there is no poop fairy, and the prevalence of dog-lovers outdoors translates into little blue and black bags left everywhere. Ugliness aside, uncollected dog poop pollutes soil and spreads bacteria. It contaminates rivers and lakes, causing algae blooms and invasive plants that crowd out native plants and fish. Plus that, it’s gross.
I’d like to write a 1,200-word article for The Bark titled “There is No Poop Fairy: pandemic hiking’s popularity means more dog waste on trails.” I’ll include insights from California State University environmental psychology professor Wesley Schultz about what motivates dog owners to leave poop bags on trails, as well as interviews with Colorado’s Ranger Louie, and a ranger dealing with the same issue in Maine. I’m particularly excited to include anecdotes from Steamboat Springs resident Jessica Beck who regularly volunteers to pick up dog poop on Emerald Mountain, frequently collecting 16 extra large garbage bags a day. A sidebar will offer options for carrying dog waste while hiking; products like the PooVault and the Turdlebag transport waste and block smells. As well, I’ll touch on the crucial differences between biodegradable and compostable poop bags, as well as how to compost dog poop at home.
My articles and essays have appeared in The Bark, Orion, High Country News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Real Simple, and numerous other publications. Clips at www.melissahart.com . I hike almost daily with my rescue terrier in Eugene, Oregon, and I’ve accidentally left her poop bags wedged under my windshield wiper more times than I can count.
Thanks so much for your time!
Melissa
You can bet I’ll be writing about my experience as a volunteer coach!
Writing with Hart 